Sterling Cornucopia
by Ashley Scarlet
Summary: "Then he reads the list of past District 12 victors. In seventy-four years, we've had exactly two. Only one is still alive." We've never heard much about the first victor of District 12. This is her story. Welcome to the 16th Annual Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey darlings! So this is my first ever story for the Hunger Games! I am a complete and utter tribute, and words cannot express how much I love the books! When I first read The Hunger Games, and the many times after that, I always wondered about the first victor of District 12. We got practically no insight about them, so I decided to make that person! The first chapter were the statistics of that character, so you get to know a bit more about her! Also, this story is also on wattpad, but I decided to put it on here as well because I'm more accustomed to this website! Anyways, enough of my rambling!  
On with the story!**

**Here are the statistics of the character! Read further down for the official first chapter!**

Name: Alice Sterling

Age: 13

District: 12

Family: Mother- Emily- 39 years old

Father- Grey- 41 years old

Brother- Cody- 18 years old

Hair Colour: Deep wine red

Hair Type: Wavy

Eye Colour: Hazel

From: Merchant Class

Complexion: Slightly Tan

Lips: Small, full and naturally red

Escort: Nicolexa Evans

Height: 5'2"

Pet: A grey tabby kitten named Ginger

Sometimes I lay in bed awake at night, dreaming of what horrors may befall my path. My parents being blown up in the mines. My brother being attacked by the ravaged beasts that lurk on the outside of the fence. Being taken away to the community homes and never seeing my family again. Some would call me pessimistic. I call it being cautious. I had a million scenarios mapped out in my head; if a tragedy were to happen, I'd know exactly what to do. I had always been prepared for everything. But no amount of planning could've prepared me for this.

I was sitting upright in my bed, scribbling furiously into my journal. The worn leather and crinkly yellow pages felt familiar to the touch. With the fountain pen in my hand, I could almost pretend that today was any ordinary day. I'd head to school with Cody, see all of my friends at school, steal glances at Mason, and then head home for a wonderfully cooked meal with all of us sitting around the table. Alas, today was no ordinary day and try as I might, I couldn't ignore that today was a reaping day. My second reaping, in fact.

I remember my first, when I was 12. My knees were knocking so hard I was positive Nicolexa Evans, the escort, could hear. My relief from not being called lasted for less than a minute when I saw the girl who had been called. A little girl who didn't even look old enough to be eligible for the reaping. She had white-blonde hair cut into a small bob and light-green almond-shaped eyes. My instinct was to protect her. Throw her behind me and volunteer to take her place.  
_Robin Lasterly_ I vaguely remember Nicolexa calling out.  
"Any volunteers?" Nicolexa's cheery voice rang out, consumed by her ridiculous accent.  
All was silent. I opened my mouth to speak and found it dry as sandpaper. I moistened my tongue and opened my mouth to call out, but I omitted no voice. I couldn't send myself into a battle to the death. Call me selfish, a coward, a dastard, but I just couldn't bring myself to volunteer in her place.

_Sorry_ I mouthed to her, positive she wouldn't notice. After I opened my mouth, her eyes, which had been previously focused on Nicolexa, darted to me. I dared repeat myself. _Sorry_ I mouthed once again. I expected to see anger in her eyes. I expected her lips to part and for her to shout every foul name she knew at me. I expected rage. But all she did was give me a soft smile, and a knowing nod. As if she completely and utterly understood why I hadn't volunteered. How could such wisdom come from one so young? How could one which such a right to show anger, show nothing but kindness? I expected rage but all she had given me was compassion.

"Alice!" A voice calls and I'm, instantly transported back to current day. Reaping day. The one day none of us are looking forward to.  
I take my journal and lock it away in an ornate box my mother has given me. The key is on a chain around my neck, as it always was. I hurry to the dining table to find a rather lackluster meal. Rough bread, cheese from our goat Snow, and a few basil leaves. My brother Cody is the only one sitting at the table. I sit down and begin to eat ever so slowly, trying to stay here as long as possible. If I pretend like today isn't the reaping, maybe I won't feel so anxious. Maybe I could actually pretend like today was any other day.

I stand in front of my mirror, trying to drag out as much time as possible. My mother and father had already readied themselves and were waiting on me. Cody had gotten ready as soon as possible, and was acting a bit jumpy. Of course he was, today was his last year of the reaping. After this, he could actually enjoy himself, or as much as you could "enjoy yourself" in the dark and dreary mines. I snap myself out of my thoughts and focus myself on becoming presentable. I had on a powder-blue pleated high-waisted skirt and a long-sleeved collared white blouse. I had done nothing special with my wavy wine-red locks, a rare trait in District 12. I had debated on whether or not to take off my key necklace, and ultimately deciding against it. My key pendant hung around my neck, gleaming in the sun shining through the window. I take in a deep breath. _This will all turn out fine, I assure myself. You're worrying yourself for nothing. Nothing bad is going to happen today. Nobody you know is going to get reaped, and District 12 might even have a victor this year_. I hurry to the living room, just hoping that all my reassurance would prove to be true.

The walk to the square was unnerving, for the air of silence around us. Usually, we always had something to talk about and it was almost always something positive. Families usually are close like that in the poorer Districts. Once we got to the area where our parents had to stay, they turn us both around. My father looks into my hazel eyes with his grey ones.  
"It's all going to be okay, Alice," he assures me, "just remember that." I nod and then turn to my mother, who embraces me in a hug.  
"We love you Alice," she tells me and I nod once again. I turn to Cody and together we walk to get registered. I get my finger pricked, which still makes me wince, although Cody hardly flinches. I guess after six years of having your finger pricked annually, you get over it. I get herded into a group of 13-year olds, and I look around to see if I know anyone around me, only to see the one face I'm always stealing glances at, to my immediate right.  
"Mason," I say softly. I thought I had spoken at an inaudible level, although it seems Mason has impeccable hearing. He turns his head at the mention of his name, and his dark-blue eyes dart to my hair before anything else. Of course, it seems as if I'm the only one with dark-red hair in all of District 12. I raised my head to meet his gaze, only to see that he's smiling. Directly at me. I might faint from happiness. His dark blue eyes meet my hazel ones for only a moment before he speaks.  
"Alice," he says, the smile never leaving his lips, instantly bringing a grin to mine. It seemed as if nothing could ruin this moment.

"Welcome to the 16th Annual Hunger Games!" Nicolexa's voice booms over the microphone. I cringe and hold my hands over my ears, and I hear a soft laugh which can only be Mason's.  
"And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She calls out. Am I mistaken, or do I hear some actual sincerity in her voice?  
"Ladies first!" she chirps. Her hand, which is wrapped inside an ice-blue glove, reaches into the glass sphere, and emerges with a single slip of paper.  
"Alice Sterling," she calls out. _Huh, I didn't know there were any other Sterlings in District 12. And Alice, that's a pretty first na-wait, that's my name. I've been reaped?! This can't be happening! _


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey darlings! So I'm back with the second chapter of _Sterling Cornucopia!_ I don't really like the name that much, but I can't think of anything else. Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that practically all of the story will be told in Alice's POV, except for this chapter which includes a special guest's POV! And can I please get some applause for uploading two chapters in two days! Usually stories take me months to update, but I've been working extra hard on this one! So I hope you enjoy!  
On with the story!**

_(Alice's POV)_  
I've never quite understood the meaning of the phrase "having the wind knocked out of you," even though I've used it multiple times in my writing. And I've never needed to. My life has always been orderly and ordinary. Nothing special. But now I know exactly what it means to have the wind knocked out of you, and it is not a pleasant feeling.

The people around me make way for me to pass. I take small steps, not turning back for even an instant until I reach the podium, for if I did, I would without a doubt starting sobbing right here and now. But I mustn't, I must appear strong. But once I am standing atop the podium next to Nicolexa, it becomes unimaginably hard. My eyes first dart to my mother and father, and I can see the tears forming in their eyes. Cody then catches my gaze, with his eyes burning with an unmistakable hatred at the Capitol. Lastly, my eyes meet Mason's and I see true despair and misery in his. He manages to give me a small, soft smile, and a pulse of happiness runs through me.  
"And now for the boys!" Nicolexa's cheery voice rings out. Her hand dips into the glass sphere for another unsuspecting victim heading for uncertain death, just like me. She grabs one with her ice-blue gloved hand and calls out the name.  
"_Grant Montgomery_," she says, and I breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't Cody, it wasn't Mason, and it wasn't anyone that I know. I look out into the crowd and try to distinguish my companion; it isn't difficult, really. Apart from the fact that he's the only one walking up to the stage, his features are strikingly different. His blond hair practically glows in the dark, and I'm at a loss for words to describe it. It's a bleach-lightning-shockingly bright blond color and no doubt it makes him stand out in a crowd. His eyes, on the other hand, are more reserved, making up for his striking hair. They're a pale, almost clear blue color. He has a face that seems like it's very accustomed to smiling and very unaccustomed to frowning. He looks about my age, but he's probably a year or two older. At least he doesn't seem like a bloodthirsty maniac who would try to give me a slow and painful death. Although, you really should never judge a book by its cover.  
In no time at all, he's up on the stage and is standing next to Nicolexa.  
"Any volunteers?" she calls out, and just like it was with me, all is silent. You could hear a pin drop in this crowd.  
"Very well then," Nicolexa says into the microphone, "please clap, for the tributes of District Twelve. Alice Sterling and Grant Montgomery." She begins to clap, and only now from up close can I see that her smile seems almost forced. As if she wants to put a stop to all of this as well. I expect everyone to clap, because I honestly don't think District 12 cares about me the slightest bit. But instead they stand, unmoving, in defiance to the Capitol. They don't approve of this. I look for my mother and father, and see them beyond the fence that separates those eligible for the Games from everyone else. My mother is sobbing quietly into her hands and my father is comforting her. She looks up, just long enough for us to make eye contact.

"I'm sorry," she mouths. For what? For bringing me into this world? Because of my parents I'm headed to uncertain death, but I can't blame them. It's not their fault the Games were created. And I've gotten so many wonderful things in my life. It may have been tragically cut short, but I enjoy my life, and I've enjoyed every bit of it. So when I mouth back,

"Don't be," it doesn't seem forced at all.

_(Mason's POV)_

Everything leading up to the reaping was a blur. I can barely remember what I ate, and I'm surprised to find myself nicely dressed when I leave the house, despite not remembering picking out what to wear. I'm wearing a powder-blue dress shirt and brown slacks. Although it may seem a bit over the top, I'm wearing a striped blue-and-grey tie. There is, after all, someone I'm hoping to run into there and I must look my best. I walk with my mother, father and little sister to the square where the reaping will be held. Before I leave to go join the others eligible for the reaping, my parents turn me around and enclose me in one bone-crushing hug each. They mean well, though. My little sister Isabelle, who just turned six, pulls on my slacks and I kneel so I'm at eye-level with her. Her honey-brown eyes stare into my cobalt-blue ones.

"Pretty please come home, Mason," she says. I give her a small smile.

"I promise," I say, although it's an impossible promise to keep. But there are thousands of other people eligible for reaping. The odds are against me being picked, for I have my name in it only twice. Although the odds aren't always very dependable. I go get my finger pricked by a Peacekeeper, but I'm craning my neck to look for someone, that I hardly feel it. I walk into a crowd filled with slightly familiar faces from school. She's still not here.

"Mason," I hear a voice call softly. I turn my head and I see her. My eyes dart to her hair. Dark red. Definitely her. I meet her hazel eyes, instantly mesmerized.

"Alice," I say softly, a smile spreading across my mouth, one that she can't help but return.

"Welcome to the 16th Annual Hunger Games!" Nicolexa Evans's voice booms over the microphone, at a volume apparently too high for Alice, as she cringes an covers her ears with her hands. I let out a small laugh. Today is the day I've been dreading, but so far, it's almost enjoyable.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor!" she calls out.

"Ladies first," she chirps and in no time at all she has pulled the name of some unsuspecting girl heading to uncertain death.

"Alice Sterling," No. No! This can't be happening! The odds were totally in her favor. She was in the reaping only twice. Just twice. But it hadn't mattered.

I make way for her to pass, although I want to engulf her in a hug and never let go. She takes small, delicate steps up to the podium, not looking back even once.

Once she gets to the podium her eyes dart from multiple people. Most likely her mother, father, and her older brother. Cody, I think his name was. And then, finally, her eyes descend upon me. I muster up a soft smile. The odds of her survival are so incredibly minuscule, but I try not to think about it. No matter how small they are, she could still survive. She could still come back alive.

"Any volunteers?" Nicolexa calls out, although I know it's pointless. Although I wish that Alice didn't have to go, there's no chance that someone would give up their life just so she could live. Love only goes so far concerning the Games.

"And now for the boys!" she calls out once she accepts the fact that no one is going to volunteer. She dips her hand into the glass sphere and emerges with a single slip of paper.

"Grant Montgomery," is the name Nicolexa calls out. The boy that must die if Alice is to survive. He walks to the stage in a steady manner, maintaining his composure through everything. Nicolexa once again asks for volunteers and is once again greeted by silence. It actually gives me an urge to laugh. She honestly thinks that people are going to fight over the "honor" to be in the Games? Because in every District except for 1, 2, and 4, tribute is almost synonymous with untimely death.

"Very well then," Nicolexa's cheery voice snaps me out of my thoughts, "please clap, for the tributes of District Twelve. Alice Sterling and Grant Montgomery. Wish them luck in the 16th Annual Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

I ready myself for the forced and unwanted clapping I've always heard at the reaping, but instead all is silent. The people around me are standing stiff and unmoving, in an act of defiance. They don't condone of this. This is not right. I join in the movement, my hands at my sides and my feet slightly parted, just like those around me. I see Nicolexa look over past the crowd, and she mouths something that I can't decipher. I see how brave she's trying to be, but I know behind that act, she's scared out of her mind. I have to talk to her before she leaves. I just have to.

**I absolutely love Mason in this story, even though he is my character. You will get to see more of him in the next chapter, but not much after that because Alice will be in the Capitol by then! Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for the next one!  
****Review! Review! Review!  
~Pakistani girl is out! PEACE!~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey darlings! I'm back with the third chapter of Sterling Cornucopia! I hope you enjoy, because this chapter is my personal favorite!**

_(Alice's POV)_

I take short, quick breaths and Nicolexa escorts Grant and me to the Justice Building. We're surrounded by Peacekeepers; they're supposedly sent here to protect us, but all they do is instigate fear into the hearts of everyone in District 12. In addition to the fact that they have guns that could prove to be fatal if you provoke them, they're not welcomed with open arms in District 12. They come from District 2, a "Career" District as we've begun to call them. Tributes from District 1, 2 & 4 think that being reaped for the Hunger Games is an incredible honor and are always fighting for a chance to volunteer. They're despised by all of District 12, and most likely every District except for their own. And somehow, they've begun to recently come to the Hunger Games with an extensive knowledge of the most painful ways to kill others. Citizens of our country, Panem, are restricted by law to train for the Hunger Games if they are eligible for the Hunger Games. But then again, the Career Districts are awfully buddy-buddy with the Capitol so I'm fairly sure they turn a blind eye. After all, to them it is just a show.

My thoughts are interrupted by a Peacekeeper separating me from Grant, who is being led to another room by a different Peacekeeper.  
"This is the room where your visitors will come to greet you," he says, and I detect an undertone of warmth and sincerity.  
"Thank you," I reply with a lingering smile, and he nods. I open the great oak wood doors and am greeted by a lavish waiting room. Multiple velvet couches and chairs are placed in various places, all of a color closely resembling the color of my lips, which are naturally red. I wander around the room with a calm expression, greatly contrasting the racing thoughts in my mind, my saddle shoes making no noise as they shuffle across the carpeted floor. I hear the doors creak and instantly whip my head around. I see my mother, father, and Cody, and I instantly break into a run to engulf them all in a hug.  
My mother is the first to talk. She takes my face in her hands and starts talking very rapidly.  
"Oh sweetheart, are you okay? I'm so sorry! Dear God, why did it have to be you?" she seems so utterly confused, that I can't help but have sympathy for her.  
"Alice," my father says, "oh my sweet, little Alice. It just isn't fair, none of this is fair. I'm so sorry." Unlike mother, who has a sense of urgency and fear about her, father has nothing in his voice but softness and sincerity. I notice that Cody hasn't said anything yet.  
"Cody?" I call. He turns at the mention of his name. He has a neutral expression on his face, no doubt trying to control his anger at the Capitol. He mutters something under his breath.  
"What?" I ask him, although a small feeling of fear seeps into me.  
"How could they?" he says, "How the hell could they do this? Don't the people have any feelings or even brains? Don't they know what it's like to family or friends or even people you care about?!" He finishes his statement in a scream, and I'm almost positive that the Peacekeeper outside is debating whether or not to come inside. But all Cody's fit of anger does, is make me cry. The tears come soundlessly, and Cody notices them before even I do. His expression immediately softens.  
"Don't cry Alice, d-don't cry," he says, trying to calm me. He hugs me and I start to cry into his shirt, probably ruining it in the process. Cody's a giant, towering at 6'2" while I stand at a measly 5'2". Cody's always been my big brother, both figuratively and literally. He's always been my shoulder to cry on, my confidant, and my partner in crime. He'd make me feel better and laugh when I was sad, and he'd always had a way of knowing when I needed someone to talk to, and he would always make that time for me, no matter what was happening in his life, or what he was going through. Whenever I would get in trouble, he would always take the blame. I never understood why, but maybe it was because he hated seeing me cry.  
He cups my heart-shaped face in his rough hands.  
"Listen," Cody says, "There is not a doubt in my mind that you are going to win these games." I try to interrupt him, say that there is no possible way that I can win, but he continues.  
"There are boys and girls out there that know 20 different ways to kill you, but you're not going to give them the chance. Evade, don't attack, and only kill when absolutely necessary. You are sweet and kind and that will win you sponsors. Look at me," he says and I raise my chin.  
"You are coming home. You are going to be a victor," Cody says without the slightest hesitation.  
"I love you Cody," I say softly. He nods and kisses me on my forehead.  
"I love you both," I tell my parents. They each give me a heart-warming hug and a kiss on the cheek.  
The doors open and the Peacekeeper walks in.  
"I'm sorry Miss Sterling, but your time is up," he says with the sincerity increasingly more evident. Cody raises an eyebrow, but I don't acknowledge it.  
"Thank you," I say with a small smile. He nods and leaves. I give my parents and Cody one last hug, for it could very well be the last time I see them, and then they leave. The doors close behind them and I am left standing there, reminiscing about every wonderful moment I've had with my family. Every moment of joy and every second of laughter replay in my head. I don't expect any other visitors, so they surprise must be very noticeable in my voice when another person enters the room.  
"Mason?"  
"Alice," he says with a sigh of relief and a lingering smile. He opens his arms and I run into them with no hesitation. I've longed for something like this between us for so long, but why must it be under these circumstances?  
"What are you doing here?" I ask, my heart pounding a mile a minute when we separate.  
"Do you really have to ask?" He says, his lips forming a smile which has always mesmerized me. Before I know what he means, or I have any time to reply, his lips come into contact with mine. My first kiss. I had spent hours dreaming of what it would be like, wondering who it would be with, and why it would be happening. Everything else seems to melt away and I get to escape the fact that I'm headed to the Hunger Games. When we part, he leans his forehead so it just barely touches mine. This little gesture makes me smile, grin even.  
"Now what in the world could that have been for?" I say with a bit of sarcasm in my voice and the grin seeming as if it was permanently frozen to my face. Mason tilts his head back and laughs.  
"You know, when most girls would get their first kiss, they' be nothing but sunshine and rainbows, but you still manage to be sarcastic," he says and I can't help but blush.  
"But…"he says, more seriously now, "I wanted you to know that I liked you before you left. That you wouldn't come back a victor and think I only liked you because you were famous. I wanted you to know that I truly care for you, and I always have." I search his eyes, looking for any signs of insincerity, a bad habit of mine, and am jubilated when I find none.  
"Well you should know before I go, that I was stunned when you talked to me at the reaping, because I never thought someone like you could ever care for someone like me," I tell him, and I bite my lip, another bad habit of mine.  
"And before you leave, you should know that I was scared out of my mind when I was talking to you because I never thought someone like you could every think of me as anything romantic," Mason says and I feel tears begin to form in my eyes. This alarms Mason and he tries to wipe them away, with little avail. Something Mason says resurfaces in my mind, but I feel so worn-down that I surprise myself when I speak clearly.  
"You said before I left," I tell him, but he doesn't seem to understand, "you said when I came back. You didn't say before I died, you said before I left," I finish, my voice begin to quaver.  
"Of course I would. I believe in you Alice. I believe that you're going to come back a victor, not because you were the most bloodthirsty or a backstabber. You're going to come back a victor because you're sweet, and you're kind. If I can believe in you then why can't you?" By the time Mason has finished talking, the tears have stopped and when we share another kiss, all the time in the world seems to stop. In this moment, nothing else matters but me and the boy who I finally know feels the same for me as I do for him. I know I will not be the first one to part. But it is neither Mason nor I who causes us to part, but the Peacekeeper knocking at the door signifying that our time is up.  
Before Mason leaves, though, he tucks one lock of my wine-red hair behind my ear and whispers _I love you,_ and gives me a swift kiss on the cheek. I hold on to his arm before his feet walk across the floor, out the door where I may never see him again. I manage to whisper three little words into his ear before the tears come.  
_I love you._

**Aww! So I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review! Review! Review! And follow!  
~Pakistani girl is out! Peace!~**


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